Daily Habits – Shake Up the Routine

Being consistent in your pursuit of fitness doesn’t mean you have to do huge workouts every single day. We’ll look at the importance of resting and recovering soon, but even when you’re having an “off” day, there are ways you can sneak healthier habits into your routine.

What does this do, aside from burn a few extra calories? It puts you in a fitness mindset. It makes being active an ongoing habit, getting you used to moving and thinking about how the choices you make each day are affecting your body in the long-term. In the end, it matters less what you’re specifically doing for your exercising and more that you’re just being active on a regular basis.

Think of it like a game. There are opportunities to give yourself a little exercise all around you. Your challenge is to identify as many as possible throughout the day and choose just a few to start incorporating into your lifestyle. We’ve looked at things like replacing your regular desk with a treadmill or breaking up your day in the office with a few minutes of pushups and pull-ups every so often. Here are a few other examples that might not be as obvious:

Taking the Stairs – Do you usually take the elevator to get up to your day job office? Swap that ride out for taking the stairs at least a few times a week and build up the frequency until you can get up the flights most, if not every weekday.

Parking Further Away – Going to the mall or grocery shopping? Park at the outer edge of the lot so you’re forced walk a bit further to get to and from the store. If you can, carry your shopping bags back to the car rather than pushing a cart.

Periodic Walks – When you want to rest your eyes and mind from a particular task (or troublesome plot point), head out from your office and take a five minute walk around the building or down a few blocks and back.

Commute Variations – If you can, consider alternatives to driving in to work or taking public transportation. Could you start walking or running to work? Could you ride a bike? You might need to stash a change of clothes at the office or start carrying a backpack, but this is an excellent way of adding exercise to your daily routine.

What other ideas do you have? What are certain physical shortcuts you might be taking that you could swap out for something even slightly more active?